President: No to Day of Prayer, Yes to Ramadan

Things that make you say hmmmmm....

In April, President Obama canceled White House National Day of Payer ceremony:

"Obama cancelled 2010 White House National Day of Prayer ceremony. The National Day of Prayer has historically been the first Thursday in May, since Harry S. Truman put it into effect in 1952, but wasn’t official until the days of Ronald Reagan.

For eight years, the White House held a celebration on the National Day of Prayer, and last year Obama cancelled the celebration, and the ceremony has been cancelled for 2010. In 2009, CNN reported that Obama was toning down the National Day of Prayer by cancelling the White House ceremony..."

While canceling the White House National Day of Prayer ceremonies President Obama continues to hold an annual dinner to celebrate the the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, where last year he paid tribute to what he called "a great religion and its commitment to justice and progress".

This year he spoke of Islam's "great diversity and racial equality...Islam has always been a part of America". No doubt it will be part of America now that President Obama has come out in support of the 9/11 mosque.

The name of the "9/11 mosque" Cordoba House, may not have meaning to most Americans. It is named after Cordoba Spain.

It's signifance in Islamic history is well known in the Muslim world. A bit of a history lesson:

"Cordoba was, of course, the seat of the caliphate established in what is now modern Spain after the Islamic invasion from North Africa in the 8th century A.D. The medieval occupation of Spain – “al-Andalus” – is considered by Islamic theorists to have been an inevitable step in the manifest destiny of Islam, and its eventual reversal through the lengthy European “Reconquista” a tragic but temporary triumph of the infidels. The great mosque at Cordoba was built on the foundation of a Christian cathedral...(Muslims then went on to) sell its inhabitants into slavery, provide a base for slaver raids into other parts of Europe, and rule by the sword in much of the caliphate."

President Obama continues to stand up for the rights of illegal immigrants, and seems to go to extremes in order to reach out to Muslims (actual press releases from US Department of the Treasury and NASA???). He appears to have little interest in white Christians who pay their taxes, those of us who are bitter and cling to our guns and religion who continue to express alarm and frustration regarding the direction our country is heading.

Here is video of the President's complete speech from last week's Ramadan dinner:

Obama Administration Gives Shout Outs to Muslims

Statement by the President on the Occasion of Ramadan, as provided by the White House

On behalf of the American people, Michelle and I want to extend our best wishes to Muslims in America and around the world. Ramadan Kareem.

Ramadan is a time when Muslims around the world reflect upon the wisdom and guidance that comes with faith, and the responsibility that human beings have to one another, and to God. This is a time when families gather, friends host iftars, and meals are shared. But Ramadan is also a time of intense devotion and reflection – a time when Muslims fast during the day and pray during the night; when Muslims provide support to others to advance opportunity and prosperity for people everywhere. For all of us must remember that the world we want to build – and the changes that we want to make – must begin in our own hearts, and our own communities.

These rituals remind us of the principles that we hold in common, and Islam’s role in advancing justice, progress, tolerance, and the dignity of all human beings. Ramadan is a celebration of a faith known for great diversity and racial equality. And here in the United States, Ramadan is a reminder that Islam has always been part of America and that American Muslims have made extraordinary contributions to our country. And today, I want to extend my best wishes to the 1.5 billion Muslims around the world – and your families and friends – as you welcome the beginning of Ramadan.

I look forward to hosting an Iftar dinner celebrating Ramadan here at the White House later this week, and wish you a blessed month.

May God’s peace be upon you.

And from the US Treasury department:

Treasury Department Statement Marking the Beginning of Ramadan

WASHINGTON As Muslims in the United States and around the world begin their observance of Ramadan, the U.S. Department of the Treasury recognizes the importance of this period of intense devotion, reflection and charitable giving. Charitable giving and philanthropy are core American values, reflected in many faiths and traditions, and are of particular significance within the Muslim faith during the holy month of Ramadan.

The Treasury Department fully supports the ability of American Muslims and Muslims worldwide to fulfill their religious obligations through charitable giving and seeks to advance charitable giving at home and abroad, while protecting the charitable sector from the threat posed by those who seek to abuse this sacred obligation. In recent years, Treasury has strengthened its partnership with the charitable sector and donor community to promote transparency and to safeguard against such abuse.

The Treasury Department will continue to work closely with the charitable sector and Muslim American communities to promote our common goals of safe and effective charitable activity and to protect the sector from exploitation by terrorist organizations. We look forward to the continued development of this partnership.

3 Things About Islam

About 7 years ago, I worked with a guy who I considered pretty smart. He had designed a couple of credit scoring and risk management software programs, and sold his company to Fair Issac. I commuted to work from another state, so I was without my family during the week and we used to have deep conversations late into the night about politics and religion. He was a big believer in education and was pursuing his Ph.d in Comparative Religious Studies, just to have something to do in is spare time. Our conversations on the Bible and religion often turned toward Islam, as he had a deep conviction that Islam was something to be feared and watched, that it was more then a religion and had strong political and social agendas. When the night got late and he had to go home to his family, he always ended the conversation by encouraging me to do my own research. Since then I've done quite a bit of research on Islam, even spending a week's vacation reading through several books that I had added to my library and reading several research papers on the impact that Muslim immigration was having on European countries.

I learned that my friend was right. I encourage you to watch this video, and if you believe that I'm exaggerating or have some type of religious bigotry, then I'll say to you the same thing my friend said to me on those late nights over beers, if you don't believe me do your own research and prove me wrong.

Thank you Alan.

Another Point of View on Gaza

Feel Good Video of the Day

The Cost of Illegal Immigration

The Democrats pass a $26 Billion bail out for teachers, while the estimated cost of educating kids whose parents are here illegally is estimated at $49 Billion.

Is The Sky Falling?

From Fortune.com:

"FORTUNE -- The Great Depression. Wall Street in 1987. Japan in 1997. Points of economic collapse are generally crystal clear in the rear-view mirror. Professional politicians in Japan have been telling stories for 20 years as to why they can prevent economic stagnation. In the US, the storytelling started in 2007. All the while, stock market and real-estate prices have repeatedly rallied to lower-highs, then collapsed again, to lower-lows.

Despite the many differences between Japan and the US, there is one similarity that continues to matter most in the risk management model my colleagues and I use at Hedgeye, our research firm -- debt as a percentage of GDP. Now that the US can't cut interest rates any lower, the only option left on the table is what the Fed just announced it would start doing -- buying Treasury debt. And that could lead the country to the brink of collapse: According to economists Carmen Reinhart & Ken Rogoff, whose views we share, crossing the 90% debt/GDP threshold is the equivalent of crossing the proverbial Rubicon of economic growth. It's a point from which it's almost impossible to return."

From MarketWatch.com:

"The government's first estimate of quarterly GDP growth for a quarter includes assumptions for the third month for inventories and trade.

Government economists had expected the deficit to widen but the June data surprised everyone.

The report was "spectacularly terrible," said Ian Shepherdson, chief U.S. economist at High Frequency Economics."